WHO rules artificial sweetener aspartame 'possibly carcinogenic'

Aspartame has been widely used in food and drinks since the 1980s including diet soft drinks, chewing gum, ice cream and breakfast cereal.

WHO's International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), a group of 25 experts, made the ruling based on "limited evidence for cancer in humans", specifically liver cancer.

The news was officially confirmed on July 14 after reports of the new assessment surfaced in recent weeks.

The finding was based on three studies which all observed a "positive association" between drinking artificially sweetened beverages and the risk of liver cancer - but could not rule this out as chance or bias.

"The assessments of aspartame have indicated that, while safety is not a major concern at the doses which are commonly used, potential effects have been described that need to be investigated by more and better studies," WHO's Dr Francesco Branca said.

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Another review was conducted recently by the Joint Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA).

It announced on July 14 no change to the acceptable daily intake of aspartame of 0-40mg per kilogram of body weight.

An adult weighing 70kg would need to drink more than nine to 14 cans of diet soft drink each day to exceed this limit.

JECFA found "no convincing evidence" of an association between aspartame consumption and cancer in humans and also called for further research.

RMIT University Professor of Chemistry Oliver Jones said it was important to understand the IARC did not assess the risk of getting cancer from aspartame.

"The IARC only looks at hazard which in this case means they just looked to see if there was any evidence that aspartame might be linked to cancer," Professor Jones said.

"We should also remember that we all exposed to carcinogens every day.

"Even things the IARC classifies as class one carcinogens, such as UV light and alcohol, do not cause cancer instantly just because you are exposed to them once.

"In short, I will continue to enjoy my Pepsi Max and I think you can too."

IARC has four levels of hazard classification based on the level of certainty that a substance can cause cancer.

Aspartame is now classified in group 2a alongside gasoline engine exhaust, occupational exposure as a hairdresser or barber and lead.

"Recent Australian research suggests the use of aspartame in the Australian food supply is declining and that most Australians are not consuming aspartame at the levels considered unsafe," Cancer Council's Nutrition, Alcohol and Physical Activity Committee chair Clare Hughes.

"This classification of aspartame is, however, a timely reminder for Australians to consider the choices they make when it comes to what they eat and drink.

"What Australians can do to lower their risk of cancer is maintain a healthy diet with minimal processed foods, be physically active every day for at least 30 minutes, quit smoking and limit their alcohol use."

In May, WHO released a new guideline recommending people against using non-sugar sweeteners for weight control.

"People need to consider other ways to reduce free sugars intake, such as consuming food with naturally occurring sugars, like fruit, or unsweetened food and beverages," Dr Branca said.

This recommendation was based on a review that found there may be "potential undesirable effects" from long-term use of sweeteners such as increased risk of type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular diseases and mortality